teachers musings

क्यूँ खाएं कटहल?

2011-11-19T23:41:00.000-08:00

Jackfruit grows in trees and can be eaten as a vegetable as well as fruit. Its highly nutritious and one fruit and feed the whole family. Popularly grown in south india , its not grown much by the farmers in north india.

for more details about it and how one man is making it popular check this link--

http://civilsocietyonline.com/pages/1109_hof_Jackfruit.html

वर्ल्ड एन्विरोंमेंट डे--डोंट वास्ते PAPER

2010-06-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Its here again. 5 JUNE 2010. Celebrations GALORE!!!
How to keep our environment clean is the big question? Garbage dumping is such an ugly sight in our cities and towns. we really need to utilise our waste more effectively.

Say for example paper.....we shouldnt be considering it a waste at all. We can recycle it and reuse it in many ways. Big question----HOW?

USE A PAPER RECYCLER MACHINE----AND BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR IN THE PROCESS.Many schools and colleges in India are using this technology effectively.

CHECK THIS WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS----

http://taramachines.com/taramachinesproducts.aspx

HAPPY RECYCLING.......

गोशाला जयपुर में पढाई

2010-02-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

नया साल मुबारक---2010

2009-12-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

The sun rises and sets, seasons pass, the years go by as do the cycles of life; the wheels turn and the axle irremediably wears down. We are not given a choice whether to participate in this process. If we manage to live a meaningful life that is a tribute to our motivation, wisdom and selfless sense of belonging to the community.

As 2009 bids us ‘Goodbye’, I would like to share some thoughts of ‘Tagore’ with you:

Life ( Pran)

by Rabindranath Thakur ( Tagore):

This world is beautiful. I do not want to die.

I wish to live in the life of man,

and have a place in his living heart,

as in a sunbright flowerful garden.

Oh, the ceaseless ripple of life on earth,

the meetings and partings so happy and sad !

With human joys and griefs I shall wreathe my song,

and live for ever in the deathless life of man.

If I fail, then may I have a little place in your midst,

my friends, and make new songs at morn and eve,

like flowers that bloom to be culled by you,

Pick my flowers with a smile on your face,

And throw them away when they fade.

WILD TRAVELS

2009-09-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

raging dreams of travel
a bottle of sparkling wine
flowing brooks and rivers
or a murmuring pine...

wandering on a path
sunsets watching
chatting with the wind
or senseless talking...

pick up a grass seed
flying in your hair
life's just a mirage
could it be your lair?

killing fields aplenty
beasts roam within
waltz when you sing
for the soul is rhythm.

soumana

एक शाम एक शायर के saath

2009-01-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

a soul juggling with words
piercing your innermost thoughts
you feel your being afloat
with past glitter and red gloss

the moment is alive with verse
smashing by your past worlds
capturing today a solitary moment
hold tight lest it may be lost

a world captured in golden voice
behold the treasure in the tone
mesmerizing with stirring landscapes
gulzar feeling with thoughts untold

जयपुर लिटररी festival

2009-01-23T05:44:00.000-08:00

whats new at the literary landscape of jaipur these days? wake up to chilly mornings, have your cupa and then head for the happening place in town called diggi house.

your date with various authors and writers awaits you. talk, listen and discuss to your hearts content, soak up the mid day sun in the lawns of the ornately beautiful diggi house palace, browse books and when you are done just laze around. sit in silence and listen to the birds chirp.

after this week of literary musings maybe you will feel the need to take up pen and paper too. or atleast you will get into the reading habit again....

what is life after all without books? one may ask at the festival. you will be surprised at the answers you get.

happy readings...and then book hunting....

for mored etails about the festival go to http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/day-2-22nd-jan#more-1802

Snapshots of Kerala

2008-11-05T05:18:00.000-08:00

Never thought I will be in Gods own country last October!!!

O what a marvelous place it is to unwind and relax on the houseboats meandering on the backwaters of Alleppy....

Here is an account of what the city of Kochi is like,its history ,etc. I like to go prepared and when I read this article, I thought the writer was writing about utopia. and thats what it is.......

KOCHI
Once upon a lagoon
By Anil Nair

Seasoned travellers would agree that landing in the old Kochi airport’s tabletop aircraft-carrier-like island-runway always used to feel like a precursor to the excitement of being in Kerala’s most cosmopolitan city. That used to be quite a while ago. The civilian airport is now on the outskirts of mainland urbania but it must be said Kochi still welcomes visitors with traditional warmth and contemporary gumption. Constructed with the sloping roof typical of traditional Kerala homes, the terminal has become an apt metaphor to the city that lies beyond — a self-assured juxtaposition of both the past and the present. The beautiful highway to bustling Ernakulam confirms this enjoyable contradiction

Till recently, Kochi was Cochin, and only half as frenetic. It was a lagoon that made Kochi a cherished destination as far back as the early-16th century and it is the same lagoon that makes Kochi one of the nation’s busiest ports now. Once upon a time what we see today was little more than a fishing hamlet. It was an eponymous flood that transformed Kochi’s destiny by turning it into a natural harbour. The rich (pun intended) aroma of spices and sandalwood drew the Europeans here and they soon wrested the profitable spice trade from Arab merchants. Political ambition propelled business. Soon enough, the Portuguese, the first Europeans to land in Kochi, were even appointing the Thampuran, the Raja of Cochin. The crown could only be had with the blessings of Lisbon and later, thanks to the Dutch invaders of Holland. The Portuguese and the Dutch eventually had to make way for the British East India Company, which effected supreme control through colonisation. It is to Kochi’s credit that the city welcomed, endured, survived and eventually, triumphed over all those who were lured by these undoubtedly bewitching shores. Four centuries ago, Niccolo dei Conti advised fellow-Florentines to make their money in Canton but spend it in Kochi. In today’s Kochi, you can do both.

The other defining element in assimilating this clean city (for, like the rest of Kerala, there is an unmistakable tidiness about Kochi that should not be taken for granted), is the symbiotic relationship between land and water that one witnesses here. The best way to discover it is to take a cruise along the kayal from Ernakulam to Perumbalam and back, which should take about two hours. Cast off at sunrise and the silence, unbroken but for bird caw, resembles the world at the beginning of time.

The Vembanad kayal is home to thousands of fisherfolk. You can see them gliding along in their graceful canoes, wide nets trailing. In the shallows, they can be seen beating the water with palm-leaf switches and then gathering the stunned fish by the armfuls. On the return leg, proceed to the harbour mouth to just wet your keel in the ocean. Between Fort Kochi and Vypeen, the gentle breeze tousles the surface of the water, hinting at what lies beyond.

This article appears in Outlook Traveller Getaways’ Kerala With Lakshadweep.

थे न्यू CREED

2008-05-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Glittering neon malls
breads and bangle
litter on streets
cars all mangled

Black water and soil
trickling plastic taps
parched dry beings
empty village on a map

Why create a world
of more greed?
waiting for gandhi
guiding lives idol-free

Money in the bank
can it fill the river
a land bountiful
buy some clean air?

What does it take
to grow the green earth
reclaim soil bleak
save water as it rains
Awake! Awake!
for man's existence
is finally at stake

ब्लडी TUESDAY

2008-05-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

Jaipur was witness to serial bomb blasts in the city on 13 May 2008. The killers had used bicycles to detonate the timer bombs , killing innocent worshipers of gods on a Tuesday.

Kudos to the people who have grieved and moved on. May God help us all to be more vigilant in the future.

on a cycle blue
blood and gore
a child's plaything
not anymore

a city weeps
walls red-stained
dust smeared garland
in a devotees hand
a life shattered
amidst a bangle stand

pink was my city
peace now shattered
a city today rises
love and faith
bringing souls together

ट्रेवल विथ मी ऎंड शूट pics

2008-01-27T02:47:00.000-08:00

I am shooting plant pics in India--program 2008 A.D.

MAY 2008---- 5 day trip to Bhopal and nearby areas like Panchmarhi or Kanha game sanctuary. THE YOUTH HOSTEL ASSOCIATION is also organising trips to the himalayas in May 2008

Celebrate the new year day/BAISAKHI (14 APRIL)at the Bird sanctuary in Bharatpur or in Pushkar lake , Ajmer when temperatures are RISING to near 42 degrees.

THE Nahargarh rescue centre ,Jaipur is home to some lions and tigons. A visit to the park is organised every saturday for interested students. Bring your field diary and plant collectors along with your cameras for some captivating moments there.

Himalayan trips to Kalka, jalori pass, Ghiagi and Iris country will take place in June 2008.

In Nov 2008 a trip to Mumbai and GOA or SIKKIM with college students is planned.

Short one day tours to TILONIA AND PUSHKAR/FOREST AREAS--SMRITI VAN,JAIPUR will be organised in DEC 2008.

Get in touch with Dr S Datta for any of the above. Right of selection reserved.

स्टूडेंट्स QUIZ

2007-09-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

This time as the academic session progresses, we all need a little break so be on the lookout for some interesting quizzes on your school notice boards. Attractive prizes for the winners are in the offing.

The science college quiz at Maharanis college had few participants. Hopefully in the future many more will enthusiaticaly join the future programmes.

Suggestions about quizzing are welcome from students and faculty.

देसेर्ट

2007-06-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

DESERT BECKONS

Traveller your journey on sand
beckons you from a far away land
you may gather moonbeams on your way
or just fritter some dust away

Kites fly on winds that burn
a lonely camel awaits thunder
the night breeze wipes the cobwebs
of a mind not tuned to wonder

Its the sand which holds you tight
binds you to this earthy life
what is music to heavens
is your humanity and strife

मौन्तैं women

2007-06-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

This May, meeting women on the mountains of Kulu was a great experience . We bonded well and it was amazing to see their hardworking nature and smiling faces all the time.When in India one must see village life in the himalayas to learn some survival tactics in cold and windy weather.

Despite their meagre and basic lifestyle their happiness quotient was far above some city dwellers i know myself included. It seems all the fresh air and bubbling. water springs add a zest to their lives.

Some sites about JAIPUR life

2007-03-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

TRAVELLING TO INDIAN VILLAGES CAN BE AN EXHAUSTIVE AND LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE.

CHECK SOME LINKS TO KNOW WHAT TRAVELLERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT MY TOWN JAIPUR AND THE LIFE THERE.

maneli.wordpress.com

yatrikheidi.blogspot.com

villagers beckon
dusty roads chime
your journey starts

Womens Day Haiku

2007-03-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

MARCH 8, 2007 IS A CELEBRATION TIME FOR ALL WOMEN OF THE WORLD.

Aptly called womens day,Jaipur also had some great ways of celebrating the day. Here are some images of that event.

bangles and pins
hair in a bun
labouring alone

huddled together
veiled women
fiery desert sun

dusty cotton saris
mobile phones
connecting women

singing songs
bonding together
for equality

band of sisters
waving tiny flags
the sun smiles

ODE TO MY TEACHER

2007-01-18T03:42:00.000-08:00

What can one write about a teacher who has the most profound influence in ones life? Prof BrahmDutt Tiagi's life has been a saga of devotion to the wonderful world of plants and their environment. AN eminent teacher he was the erudite face of the University's Botany Department at Jaipur since the late sixties until he retired in 1982. On 16 Jan 2007, he left this world after having lived an enriching life

"When teachers speak in class students have to listen",is the unwritten rules in our classrooms. But with TIAGI sir it was the case of students wanting to be taught by him all the time. Who else could make a class appealing and full of anecdotes and practical applications but him? I still remember he made us drink coffee made from Cassia samia beans which grow profusely in the campus because it is drunk in some African countries. What a pleasure that was knowing the use of a plant practically. Why dont we have teachers like him anymore?

When values in society decline people look upto teachers for some moral goodness. Sir had the capacity to light a fire in any of his students. His presence mesmerised us, provoked us to think and ponder on societal problems. If his innumerable students all over india are in positions today as doctors, teachers, researchers and scientists a great credit goes to the classroom lectures he deliverd and thus inspired all of us to work for the society around us.

His passing away on 16 January 2007 in Jaipur is a reminder that man's greatness lies in the legacy he leaves behind in the heart and minds of people. His studies on the Flora of Rajasthan are a great contribution amongst many others to plant sciences in our state. SIR your smile and fiery eyes will always remind us of our path in life you so lovingly taught us to follow.

CHATTING ON THE NET

2006-12-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

Typing fingers at dusk,
hoping for a musical sonnett.
which creeps as a worm,
or a bee on your bonnett.

When insects chatter their thoughts,
typing fingers bury their dreams ,
to listen to a mind that chatters
of a far away typing being...

Its not always walls that we build
or castles in the air for others skilled
whose dream do we live anyway
maybe its dreams that we kill

Creating minds that dont matter
grains that we everyday fritter
lands abused and dams overused
bodies when filled with litter

Dreaming of a catastrophe
typing fingers look for hope
technology which eases our lives
are the tranquilising dope

DANCING WITH TIME

2006-11-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

if time stood still
where would you be
working or dancing
with a smart honeybee?

if time stood still
will the sun rise
the sparrow fly
cats dance with mice?

its the speeding man
who is a slave
to his fleeting time
forever whining
never dancing to a rhyme

if time stood still
will you start again
to create a world
of friends with brain
who will dance merrily
in the desert rain?

THE STRAWBERRY AND CASHEW TRAIL.

2006-11-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

A group of enthusiastic students and staff of Maharanis College , Jaipur travelled to the western part of India in October 2006. The seven day tour covered the western ghats, including Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani.Finally we reached Goa after a long arduous drive through the ghats which is a paradise for all plant lovers.

When we reached Mumbai the commerce capital of India we were greeted by the the sky touching buildings and spruced up highways , jazzy marketplaces and long queues of cars and buses in a traffic jam!! Time was at a premium so we did hurried visits to the magnificent marine drive, Tarapore aquarium, the Gateway of India and the famous Juhu beach. A vast collection of sea animals , fishes and shells were the highlight of the aquarium. Giant turtles, a hockey stick fish, some deadly sharks and even
an octopus were housed in this place. Our zoology students and other girls too gaped at these sweet and vicious fauna from the sea. Shell earrings and necklaces, lamps and other utility items beckoned all fashion conscious students to try out these elegant pieces.

The Gateway is a majestic sight. The Taj hotel opposite it is even grander. Our eyes were glued to these architectural marvels as we walked along the sea face and clicked with our cameras. Driving along the queens necklace at night and watching the reflections of street lights dancing in the sea is a sight to behold. The city really comes alive at night when the temperature also cools down. Juhu beach was a big let down. It appeared like a huge mela
with lots of stalls of the local delicacies like vada pau, paani puri,icecreams etc. The polluted and crowded beach is a place for citizens to relax but we were disappointed at Juhu. Our nerves cooled a bit when we reached fashion street for a bout of shopping, a maddening experience to bargain for clothes as cheap as 50/ rs and shoes for 80/

The drive to Mahabaleshwar and forests of Panchgani was also a wonderful experience notwithstanding a flat tyre we had enroute!!
It was cooler there and in the morning we visited some lakes and a table top mountain where we did some buggy rides. How can a mountain have a flat top we wondered. One has to see it to believe it. We were walking on the mountain top as if it was Tonk road of Jaipur-----flat and long!!!!

Near mahabaleshwar , Panchgani market had an old bakery about hundred years old. The aroma of fresh baked bread was heady. Mahabaleshwar has an old Shiv mandir and the Shivling is not the usual one but a flat one like a rudraksh bead, which was housed in a small garbhgriha.

The strawberry fields were the highlight of the trip. The farmers there have adapted the technology from California and are growing strawberries in this area. Drip irrigation and sprinklers are used to water them and under each plant plastic sheets are laid so that the ripe berries dont touch the ground and get dirty!! We saw a factory making strawberry jam, crushes and icecream. It was a grand picnic for all of us as we browsed the shops and brought
strawberry goodies for our loved ones back home.

A long overnight journey brought us to Goa , rightly the number one tourist destination of India. Clean roads, no garbage sights and lush greens/gardens greeted us. Coconut and Date palms, Pandanus, cashew trees dotted the scenic roads. Flowers of daisies, Mussaendas, wild berries, Teccoma, were seen. As we entered Panjim city we crossed the bridge over the Mandovi river,
where cruise ships are permanently parked . MANY CHEMICAL AND MEDICINE FACTORIES ARE SITUATED ON HILLTOPS IN AND AROUND GOA. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY IS BASED AT DONA PAULA SEA FACE.

Our hotel was atop the Mandovi river which was a treat to watch. One can never have enough of Goa, the beaches are so marvellous and long that we never felt like leaving them. All streets leading to the beaches have small cottages of the locals which they hire out to tourists. Colva beach was fun as it was secluded and the sun kissed waves came gently to the shore. Others like Calangute were flooded with people as there are a lot of water sports like
parasailing, water scooters,etc offered by tour operators.Cruising on the Mandovi river for an hour at night we watched the local konkani dances. Local wines and seafood are a treat for all. Marketplaces are clean and women are seen everywhere working and managing shops including wineshops!!!
Tourists are never ill treated and the ambience is relaxing. No wonder people say that "Goa is a way of life".

The churches in Vella Goa or old Goa are numerous but the famous
Bom Jesus church which houses the remains of Saint Francis Xavier is a spiritual experience for many. Such grand structures amidst landscaped gardens, the gold carved church interiors are a testimony to the Portuguese architectural style . In Goa, Vasco De Gama's heritage is alive even today.

When we touched Jaipur it was a sad moment as newly made friends were departing to their homes. All of us were enriched by the new ways and lives of people of a different part of India and it was a truly great learning experience for all of us. The seven day holiday we all shared have hopefullyhave made us a bit like Goans----friendly , hospitable and full of joy

DIWALI HAIKU

2006-10-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

A burst of light
dreams in my heart
sparkle within

THE dark night sky
ignited with
hands of a child

Festive beginning
revelry all around
tiring end.

CHOTI DURGA

2006-09-30T01:58:00.000-07:00

ek din
mataa ke darbar mein
khadi thi ek ladki
pooch rahi thi pata
apne ghar kaa.

chhitron mein lipti
maili si bacchi
kyon mata ki sharan
mein jaati hai
kya usey apni parchaai
maata mein dikhti hai?

shayad usey pataa hai
ek din usey bhi log pujenge
uski aarti utarenge
jab woh koi karishma
dikhayegi
laal rang ki jeebh se
manushya ko darayegi.

waise bhi kaun puchtaa hai
ladkiyon ko aajkal
uske sapnon ke toot
jaane ki
kisko hai parwah?
chhitre man ki
yeh udasi hawa
hoton pe uske
phirbhi hai
tere mere liye dua.

Tomaar shonge aalaap

2006-09-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

tomaar kothaar maajhe khuji ek shoor

tomaar aakaashe khuji indrodhonush

belai hotey bhabhi kokhon hobe raat

jeeboner khela kore keno maanush

rokter moddhe khuji baataash

hoye to ek deen tomaar jonno

raater shonge korbo aalaap

khuji ek mon nistej kore je

paalaye naa doore porer dukkhe

shobooj jeeboner jaar kaache chaabi

oyee maanusher proti aami daabi

RAMBLING ON THE INTERNET

2006-07-25T00:53:00.000-07:00

When friends and others ask me what I do on the net, I tell them I ramble about this and that. Does anyone care to read all these thoughts, is the next invariable question posed to me.

As all questions go ,I look for answers within me. or should I? The net is a medium to express ones ideas and longings and desires and if there is no audience does it matter anyway?

There is some vicarious thrill in writing and seeing ones name in print and a blog does just that. Satisfies an inner need,I mean. It helps me to articulate my jumbled up thoughts in print and hope that someone somewhere will read it. Like a camp adventure looking for thrills in the unknown, writing or conversing on the net with others is like an intellectual adventure with faces and profiles that are imagined via their writings.

Is there a motive to all this? What if there isnt? Is man always to act because of some intrinsic or extrinsic motivation? What do I gain? I am still looking for answers. Man is alone and writing is a lonely pursuit so maybe I look for souls to connect via the ether.

The bottomline is I still dont know why I share so much with you all on the net about so many events happening in the world. The human mind is suppose to query and if I ask questions am I not true to my species?

Travelling with a skull

2006-07-05T05:05:00.000-07:00

Travel with a skull…….vignettes of travel in the Himalayas.

Traveling in India by road can be an enlightening experience, most highways connecting major towns are in good condition so the journey is more enjoyable especially on mountain roads. Viewing the vast Himalayan landscape one can forget mountain sickness but the queasy ones will still stop the car to puke out their sumptuous breakfast or lunch occasionally. Still others will sleep through the journey like my son does to overcome this uneasy feeling on a traveling car and waste an opportunity to soak in the majestic landscape. After every kilometer, one encounters people sitting on a small shack selling fresh juicy fruits like cherries, apricots, plums and pears. This is the time when one can gorge on these fruits in India and even the trees by the roadside are full of these luscious temptatations. The box of cherries I bought were the juiciest I have ever had in my life.

What does one do on a mountain road? Besides watching the scenery around which can get a tad boring after a while? So one fine day we decided to give a lift to two mendicants or sadhus as they are called in India in the hope that we may get some ancient wisdom from their erudite minds. With a black cloth tied around their waist, a stick in hand, body smeared white with ash and one of the sadhus even had a human skull hanging around his neck along with other bead necklaces!!!! Was I scared? Well no. As they got into the car for a free ride with us, I did have visions of us being robbed or even killed….the skull was white and shiny and my biology lecture in college came to mind . Our skulls are supposed to look yellowish, no??

Nothing dramatic happened and the wise guys chatted with us normally, asking us about our lives and what we do, where we live etc. They were happy to get a free ride and a meal too as we had lunch together on a road side eatery. Lives of sadhus in india come in many shades and varieties. These ones are called tantrics and they worship in human graveyards and invariably go around with a human skull around their necks. They worship the goddess Kali and travel to all the temples of Kali in India on foot to offer prayers. Goddess Kali bestows power to her devotees and many Indians are devotees of this POWERFUL goddess.
At the dead of night the tantrics will light a fire near a human corpse and offer prayers and chant mantras. The idea is to gain some power and knowledge and some who do are very popular. Ordinary folks will flock to them and offer prayers to these sadhus and they in return promise to solve your worldly problems. WHEN ONE GOES TO RELIGIOUS TOWNS IN INDIA, one can see many kinds of sadhus who have different ways of worshipping God. India is rightly called Nirvana land as people are offered quick fix solutions to attain enlightenment in these towns and temples by enlightened souls.

To continue with the story, Baba Amaranth , one of the sadhus , told me he was reminded of a disciple he once had as she resembled me. Maybe he is trying to make me a disciple I thought suspiciously. Both of them smoked premium cigarettes borrowed from my husband. After a couple of cigarettes smoke blowing around me I told them how can you be wise if you have such vices!!! Alas I did not get any wisdom from them , or maybe they did not want to share what little they knew about lifes miseries and joys. To cut a long story short he did offer some secret advice to my husband and told him to wear some stone ring to be happy and successful in life. He left me alone perhaps realizing that I had no need for any solutions to imaginary problems.

Next time I am going to give a free ride to some more interesting people on earth. I don’t fancy being engulfed by smoke from an ash smeared human donning a skull ever again !!!

PALACES AND KINGS----FROM INDIA

2006-07-05T04:53:00.000-07:00

Long ago there was a prince of Patiala in north India and he had many wives. He built some lovely summer palaces for his frolicking and which even today dot the Himalayan landscape. Chail is one such place, Shimla has some palaces too, we even saw one in Sadhupul. Where did you go last summer? If not Chail in Himachal Pradesh then you have missed something. With its pristine beauty and chilled mountain air it offers lovely walks through the forests of deodhar trees, birds abound and flowers add colour everywhere.

The small palace in Sadhupul is called Indira home as it was donated to Indira Gandhi , once the prime minister of India and she used it for holding children’s adventure camps. Amidst lush green mountains it’s a piece of flat land where about 1000 students can be provided with tents, a river called Ashwini flows by. The little palace becomes the store and administrative block during these camping days.
A small tea shack in Sadhupul is running since the past 80 yrs and the couple Mr. and Mrs. Verma play host to all the tourists passing by on the road. They will organize food, camping trips and even sit and chat with you over cups of coffee and talk about the history of this place. He even tried selling us some land to grow fruit trees as we found the place very beautiful and the river down below has some good opportunities for angling. We wished we had gotten our fishing tackles on this trip. Mrs. Verma said that she doesn’t want her kids to run this shop but go out in the city and get educated and do some job there. The TV and papers have given her this idea that her pastoral life is not to be envied and big cities offer more by way of a life!!!!

The other palace at Chail is at a ht of 7200 metres above sea level, there is a fabulous military school there, and the playground is marvelous. The late prince use to play regular cricket matches there. The main palace is a hotel for tourists; there are playgrounds and tennis courts too, also a lovers lane which the honeymooners find delightful. Here the city folks come and spend some quiet moments to bond with nature and breathe the unpolluted air. It’s a great hideaway for the people living in north india who want to escape the scorching heat. Mrs Verma , let me tell you that yours is a cleaner and better life in many ways as you get to help so many people and make them think about investing in a slice of your clean green land.

I saw a huge maple tree in the Chail palace grounds, it looked beautiful as green leaves were covering the naked branches and some old yellow leaves were still hanging. I once heard a poet describing a maple tree in autumn with flaming yellow leaves…..

Maple don’t show your fierce colours
My anger is more fiery than yours
So much so that I burn with anger
As you burn yellow in autumn air .

JAB BUDDHIA DAUDTA HAI

2006-05-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

yeh ek chhal hai ki main azaad hoon
is desh mein mujhe kaam se fursat nahi
ghar mein azaadi hai marzi se jeene ki
phir bhi dilko bandh rakhna chahti nahi.

subah ki purvaii, aur chai ki chuski mein
padti hoon us udaas mahila ki kahani
jo 800 rupai main bechti apne shishu ko
daud kar jo banta hain akbaar ki surkhiyan.

ek maa kabhi azaad ho sakti hai kya
bachon ko becch kar jo bharti hain pet
isi chaal mein jeeti hoon main
ki main azaad desh mein zinda hoon

A Himalayan town

2006-03-24T02:40:00.000-08:00

“It grows wild here, we also cultivate it and reap the fibers from this plant which we call Rambaans,” Gopal the local youth of Kotdwar shows us his white swanky sun hat. Well these are a fashionable lot with their pristine white hats , I think, till I get to see the agaves plants and the fibers extracted from it. Go pal’s agaves fiber hat is a sure winner.

Nestled in the western Himalayas near the pilgrim town Rishikesh is the sleepy town called Kotdwar. Best way to travel there is to take a taxi ride and enjoy the scenery and the winding roads, which lead to the enchanting town with its green expanse of trees , lianas and shrubs. When the hot summers hit the plains of India it is great to spend a few days in places like Kotdwar and relax amongst the Himalayan greens. Friendly people chatting away over hot cups of tea by the roadside and monkeys greeting you on the streets as you drive from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttaranchal , is a common sight.

Kotdwar does not have many opportunities for men and women to earn but things are slowly changing. People have learnt to use the biodiversity present in abundance to their advantage. Women co-operatives are many and they are engaged in producing local textiles from wood and fiber indigenous to their region. Nettle grass , which is another wild plant is also being used to make stoles and mufflers . The AGAVES fibers are used to make mats, paper and other parts are used to make shampoos , medicines and beer. Products are available in the market and also in cities during exhibitions and trade fairs.

As I pick up my shopping in kotdwar from little kiosks I realize how tourists can play a valuable part in a sustainable economy of the region by buying locally produced eco friendly goods. We grab at the branded mill made goods in swanky malls and pay a steep price for them when the same can be brought from a local producer. The smile on their faces is a lasting memory of a place you have helped enriched.

FODDER

2006-03-16T00:03:00.000-08:00

Seen A half mind
which has a limited view?
Horizons yet unseen
Nourished with poverty
In a malnourished womb.

A no question mind
no mountains to conquer
No goals to attain
Living in penury
Earning its daily grain.

A mind which evokes
Pity and despair
In your mind
And mine
Every day.

As a working child
Their fate depended
on a mere meal
of curried rice, sugar
to make them free
an average being
like you and me.

WHEN CUCKOO WON'T SING

2006-03-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

The cuckoo-song unfolds in the spring morn
When teacups clank in your kitchen shelf
For your early morning walk the dogs bark
It’s the day when you don’t hear the skylark

When pigeons come out of their holes
And electric wires are tangled with kites
When the bell jangles in temples for prayers
It’s the day when the lake water dries.

With a cloth you swipe your soot filled car
Breathing the poison with the morning rain
Your bones are weary and mind agape
It’s the day song birds stop singing again.

To hear the lost world of dinos and dodos
Tiger calls, cuckoo chatter and twitter
To feel the joys of bird-songs of yore
Man! Press the button of your stereo.

Shoma
15march2006

WHAT IF ?

2006-03-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

one fine morning
if i forget who
what, where i am
i will hope
that others remember me
maybe i will get a new identity
to look at the world anew
maybe lose some
or make some friends new

perhaps it will be
my second chance
at life and living
a gift to begin
a life from the beginning.

new challenges
will come everyday
in my mind
i will fight
come what may

one fine day
if i forget you
help me to build
our lost world blue

Slice of Bengal

2006-02-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

Not far from the forests of Panagarh in West Bengal one can drive to the rich environs of Shantiniketan , the University town that India's nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore built. Meandering in the campus one is suddenly struck by the charm of living and learning in natural surroundings.
A trip to Shantiniketan makes one realise about how very artificial our young lives have become in the cities wioth matchbox constructions passing as temples of learning. Tagore's lasting contribution has also been in the field of education, where he gave a different paradigm of teacher and taught.
The mornings are filled with birdsong mixing with ones voice, grass and greenery vying for the artists brush, pupils learning the alphabets from nature itself, and even the joys of science and art bloom in the campus filled with an aura of creativity and soulfulness. After a visit one returns enriched and wishes for a return to a childhood growing up and learning in such verdant surroundings
For the tourist the Bolpur town also in a treasure trove of arts and crafts of the weavers and painters and craftspersons. INTRICATELY CARVED WOODWORK , ALONG WITH BATIK IN LEATHER AND CLOTH AND THE MOST FAMOUS KATHA STITCHED EMBROIDERED CLOTH can make ones pocket empty within no time. No regrets however as you are investing in a slice of culture of West Bengal .

A DAY BEGINS

2006-01-30T22:46:00.000-08:00

a day begins and ends
is it the other way round
living has no reasons
like seasons in the sun
we toil and suffer in bliss
for our pleasure and pain.
your quest futile or sublime
in this vast ocean
are you a drop of blood or tears
floating around finding your ocean?
whose life can you fly
or swim in the tide of sorrow
its a vast journey
of silence steeped in joy
with no today or tommorrow.

VIRTUAL BEINGS

2005-10-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

your mind is an endless well
of ideas brimming with ideas that gel
friends brooding for a golden deal
or a passion which is virtually nil
it’s a journey fraught with much pain
if you are looking for some virtual gain
who says we live in a real world
of typefaces which mirror your emotions
a machine that never fails to deliver
a message, sentiments on a virtual platter
when the fingers type out the last word
its not the technology that has failed
but the human who has stopped feeling
when I stare at a blank screen in reality.

Aabaad Karo khandhar (in hindi)

2005-10-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

Woh dil se karti hai bayan
mera ek ghar tha yahan.
Pahad se nadi behti thi jahan.
Woh dhoodti hai bhai kee chapal.
Ek soorahi, aur gudiyon ka makaan.
Is khandar mein kon lotayega uski hansi.
Dur tak koyee aadmi bacha nahi jahan

Behta paani talaashta hai
Ek naya rasta
Toote pahad bhi nahi
Rok sakte uski fitrat.
Aadmi bhi aaj
Jaalata hai ek diya
Is veerane kee
Cheekh ko cheerta hua.

Haree vadiyon mein basa hai
Mera ek sundar gaon
Dekhna hai to phavde chalao
Ek naya nalanda shahar
Is khandar mein daba hai
Ek sanskriti bayan karta hai.

Choices---Amongst The Ruins

2005-10-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today I despair, dont know
What to do, where to go
Choose to sleep in the cold
Or dig a grave in anticipation
Choose to walk uphill
Hoping for a shelter in vain.
Choose to stay back, wait
For benefactors aid
A body with waning breath
a wail of anguish and death
Can I
Choose to leave behind a life
Torn by the earths rumble?
Or choose to walk to a new dawn
Build a life to live again
LIGHTING A CANDLE
Atop the ruins of a city
With hands which yesterday
Had buried the stone-dead.

A GHOST CITY---BHANGARH

2005-10-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Near Jaipur in INDIA, a 2 hour drive away , nestling amongst the hills are the ruins of Bhangarh. Many stories of ghosts abound ---some scary ,others overtly nostalgic. The fort is in ruins, just below it there is an old temple of LORD SHIVA and a pond which is continuously filled with a stream. Behind the temple is a large garden filled with keora trees--botanically known as PANDANUS spp. Keora scent is a must in all the pujas and havans done by INDIANS in their religious ceremonies and the scent is extracted from the flowers of the plant. An old lady is grazing her goats on the lawns of the ruins. There is no entrance ticket to the site and we could not see a gate man either to tell the story of the fort to a curious traveller.

Ggrrrrrrrrr...a large group of monkeys welcome us at the entrance of the fort, where an elevated stone temple stands. Black faced and red faced LANGURS are eager to jump at our bags for goodies. They stare and escort you all the time you are in the premises. We wonder," is it their hallowed territory we have entered without permission?"Never try to feed them and they leave you alone is a valuable lesson learnt. Amidst the green hills we stroll on the beautiful green palm dotted gardens, admiring the architecture of the fort splendidly standing in isolation even today. Plants and trees dot the landscape.

The ruined fort also had a marketplace in a row, all shops have their roofs blown off. Why? What tragedy befell the people here we wonder?Did they abandon this site? The locals say the ghosts live here. We climb atop a hill to reach the main palace built in redstone, now crumbling. Some of it is being restored by the archaelogical dept and it would be a long time to restore the complete structure. Let people see the life of rajas and thakurs of yore and ponder about their living areas . WE, IN THE CITIES, LIVING IN MATCHBOX HOUSING WHICH IS BEREFT OF ANY AESTHETICS CAN ONLY ENVY THE RUINS OF BHANGARH.

Deener Aaraaley (bangla poem)

2005-09-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

raatrir aaraley premer kotha boli
deener aaraley ek chaakrir chinta kori
chaayer aaraley keno boshe aacho kache
deho prem thaakle manoosher nayee mukti.
chaand bheja raater aaraley tomaar gaan
paakhir modhur bani baaganer praan
joto dur aami jaayee tomare shaath
kobitaar aaraley aashbe ki ek notun raat?
preme jole jaabar aaraley jeyo naa bhoye
kholo bandhano haath aar aamar hridoy
aalor aaraley aamay mukt koro aaj
sonsarer aaraley aaj shunao prem raag.

20sept2005

Choices We Make

2005-08-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

Friend you may hide in a corner
Trying to find a space or lack of it
It is easy to shy behind a veil
Of no thoughts or commitments
Whose worth can we measure true
If sea of darkness is not removed
Doing nothing about the wrongs
Is it a choice , your heart approves?
Open your heart to the love around
Like a bride and groom on wedding night
Loving humanity despite its flaws
Accepting , making it more bright

worms in our lives

2005-08-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

in a garden lived the bluebird
pecking at lifes burdens
she often thought of birds,
of flying to other heavens
where will she find the cherry
or fields laden with fruit
how many friends will she make
when far away she scoots?
many a times in her dreams
an enchanting sky emerged
when she was pecked by worms
in the soil of her earth
with a smile she asked them
why you dont rise from soil
to travel with me afar
when greens beckon, waters sing
why in sand you loiter?
in life we need the worms
to make our soils green
who look up to us with wonder
when we fly with our dreams.

RAGING RAINS

2005-07-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

The day has gone in history
when rains played havoc in lives
people atop poles , with ropes
carrying others from marrooned drives.
Why ac cars became death traps?
Hondas and Fords with jammed brakes
doors that locked death indoors
Rains which cool and also kill
its mans destiny or natures thrill
at his folly for building roads
so poor, concrete trapping the flow
of water from the skies
which soothes otherwise.
A deluge I love and hate sometimes
despite its colour and rage divine.

JAJABOR

2005-07-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

JAJABOR in bangla and YAYAVAR in Hindustani means a traveller with a soul. For all the jajabors I have known and admired , a few thoughts

JAJABOR
Write to me more about places you have seen
The customs and mystery of unknown beings
Of jungles and mountains, rivers gurgling bright
Snow and ice-maidens dancing by the firelight.
Why and what they fear and their faith in nature
Who do they trust most with their lives treasure?
Where is the clear stream quenching their thirst
How do they heal their war-wounds fast
Do they forgive all and love with abandon
Their enemies as friends in golden passion?

Jajabor,
Tell me the tale of desires unquenched
Which high priestess teaches them patience
Who gives them the potion to bear the pain
Of living a loveless life, yet forever giving?

SOUMANA
14 July 2005

FREEDOM

2005-07-12T23:20:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I wonder beings
at all the groups of earthlings
we have---ethnic, religious, national
which is the strongest bond of them all?

why the boundaries of land
dividing , forbidding,
arent humans free to
fly, ride, swim to other shores
to work or make films?

why leave ones homeland to
kill in another abode
birds of devastated greens
laying eggs in a distant wood?

AFTER THE BOMBINGS

2005-07-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

DNA OF A KILLER

God in your kingdom, the sights repel
Bodies on streets, fire in the house
Cops toiling, killers on the loose
Like the cat chasing the mouse
Why does man kill
First with his conniving mind
Then with bombs in sacks filled?
Who plants the germs of gore
Seeds in the passionate mind
Of churning and a griping soul
Who questions the right to exist
Of people living in harmony
Since centuries old?

His grotesque conscience repels
Does he deserve your pardon
The face of terror is a blot
To mankind
Will not our faith and yours
In humanity decline?
Once was he not like you and me
Kind and a soul with free will
Why then his genes played up yesterday
Ordering him to blood-spill?

Feed your DNA with humanity, folks
Lest one day it also kills…..

SHOMA
11 JULY 2005

WELCOME

2005-07-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog, folks.
its a cheery day for sharing
the sunbeams of your mind
or the dark abyss left behind
for a friend and a guide
a teacher with views of all hues
you will not so easily find.

soumana